Eternity
by NeonDreams
Summary: A collection of weekly prompts from the dA community Zutara Eternity. Prompt Four: Magic. Rated T for safety.
1. Hello

Prompt: Hello

The streamlined submarine was hard to spot in the midst of the old warships (their hulls filled with exports, not instruments of death), but Zuko had an advantage. Despite servants' pleas for him to come down to safety, the Firelord had scampered into a crow's nest Suki-style, armed with a certain old telescope. He had been waiting since midday, and it was near dusk. But the nineteen-year-old monarch wasn't discouraged or impatient. All day he had been fantasizing. When he had been...well, not _normal_ for his age, but surrounded by others who understood. When they were still at war, but after he had won the war within himself. When he wasn't yet Lord, but long past Prince.

Sokka. It surprised him, really, how much he missed the guy. The warrior had despised him and refused to trust him for most of their adventures. But now the Water Tribe boy's messenger hawk was run ragged with long-distance messages. Zuko was surrounded by advisors and nobles and servants, and he was so tired of it all. So tired of not being able to talk to someone who allowed him to leave his title at the door.

He missed Toph and Aang, too, but of course they were in the Earth Kingdom. Oh well. He'd see them on Ember Island in a few months. The reunion had been the Avatar's idea, and an entire committee had been formed, which wasted no time in concocting elaborate plans.

He even missed Suki and Ty Lee. Sokka had sent a message a few days ago (or rather, he had received it then; he estimated it took Hawky almost a week of flying) informing him that the sub was stopping to pick up his girlfriend. Awkward and half-grudging as both boys secretly felt about the acrobat, Zuko felt himself cheered even without her physical presence. Maybe that aura stuff had rubbed off on him.

But the cause of his drastic actions wasn't his sister's friend-turned-enemy. It definitely wasn't Suki; the two of them could barely speak comfortably despite his numerous apologies and her forgiveness. No, it wasn't even Sokka, Zuko's closest friend.

It was...someone. Someone he couldn't even bear to name. Whatever was churning in his stomach threatened to spill over if he broke that unwritten rule, even in his thoughts, even whispered in an otherwise empty room, even up here where the breeze was cool and he was all alone.

Even without a definite identity, thinking about _her_ (he could stand to specify the gender in his thoughts) was something he could only tease at.

"I wonder if she's wearing her hair in that braid again."

Braid. Thinking about her braid made her think about the South Pole. Thinking about the South Pole made him think about the cold. Thinking about the cold made him think about the clothes he'd worn when he went there. Thinking about the clothes made him think about the kind of person he was back then. Thinking about that made him think him think about the person she had thought he was. Thinking about what _she_ thought of _him_ made him think about what _he_ thought about _her_.

What did he think about her?

The setting sun alerted him from his thoughts. He hadn't even looked, the dimming light and decrease in energy was like splash of freezing water.

"They should be coming soon..."

Because the sun was going down. Sokka had said they'd be in the harbor by the time the sun set.

He rose and set with the sun. She rose and set with the moon.

It was full tonight, he observed. Maybe she'd give him a bloodbending demonstration (much as she hated herself for having that power).

Wait, what was he going to say to her when she arrived?

He started to put together some sort of friendly greeting that didn't ooze the feeling of "I-haven't-seen-you-since-you-turned-fifteen-and-I've-been-thinking-about-you-every-second-since" that was increasing by the minute. A blue flash startled him out of his thoughts. Having abandoned the telescope to his own musings, the Water Tribe transport had (as his luck would have it) reached the harbor and whoever was directing it was now searching for a place to park.

"Agni, they're here!"

Grabbing the rope, he slid down to the deck. Unsteady on his feet for a moment, the Firelord, now master bender, crumpled to the ground. Generally undamaged, he scrambled to his feet and sprinted to the end of the dock, not caring about his subjects (now staring and gossiping with one another) or his dignity. In his rush he tripped on an uneven plank in the wood and flew forward a good few feet...

...landing with an audible thunk on the front of the submarine.

Through the (of course it would be) untinted window, she was staring, jaw agape.

"Um...hello?"


	2. Acronym

Here's the second prompt. I got a lot of positive feedback from the people on DA for this.

* * *

"Hey, Sokka?" The warrior jumped and dropped his load of firewood, hissing when an especially weighty log crushed his toes.

"Ack! Zuko, why'd you sneak up on me like that?" he screeched, mumbling profanities as he scrambled to reclaim the stack.

I took a small step forward. "I dunno. I couldn't really sleep, so I came out here."

"Oh."

A few moments passed. What now? "Um, Sokka?"

The warrior was still facing away from me, organizing the logs. "Yeah, what?"

"Uh, do you wanna...um...talk?" As easily as we had bonded at the Boiling Rock, we didn't really know much about each other.

Sokka turned and began walking. His raised eyebrows were visible even over the wood. "Talk?"

I twisted my wrist and it popped. The cracking sound broke the still palpable silence. "Uh, yeah. About...stuff. I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep at all anyway."

Sokka let out a huge breath of air, like he'd been holding it in. Leading the way to the campfire, he banked the still-glowing embers. The dormant flames flickered and began their feast. Sitting down, my former enemy patted the ground next to him.

"So what's on your mind, Hotpants? Talk to Mr. Wang Fire!" The ever-present grin widened, and before I knew what was happening the Water Tribe boy had whipped on a fake beard. "It's women, right? Oh, I know. It's Gloomy Girl, isn't it? I knew it! But haven't you gotten over her yet? I mean, come on, you need to move on, buddy. There's plenty of fish in the..."

"The?" I was still recovering from the shock of the beard.

"...sea."

Suddenly the beard was off, and Sokka was gaping, openmouthed, at a nearby tent. The warm breeze had blown the door flap right open. The tent was unoccupied.

Strange as it was, I didn't really see what Sokka was worried about. So someone had decided to go for a walk or something.

"Sokka?" I waved my hand in front of his face, trying to snap him out of whatever trance he'd put himself into. "Sokka, can you hear me? What's wrong?"

He pointed.

Oh, Agni help me. The owner of the tent hadn't gone for a walk. She'd gone for a swim...And it really didn't look like she had any clothes on. I averted my eyes as quickly as possible, trying to shut down the hormone-fueled part of my brain. Which, unfortunately, was expanding, and fast.

_Sokka is a BOSS, Sokka is a BOSS...the BOSS is going to kick my Fire Nation–_

"Katara!" erupted the BOSS himself. "What under the _moon_ do you think you are doing? You...and...tonight...Zuko...clothes...agh!" He tugged off his outer robe and threw it over my head.

"Zuko?" I heard heavy, strangled breaths behind me. My ears felt like they were on fire.

"Um, hi?"

"Oh Spirits...Zuko?" She didn't seem to register that crucial fact. I heard the whipping of cloth and looked up just in time to see her tent flap close.

Across the field, Toph burst into laughter.

"Shut. Up. Toph!" screamed Sokka. "And you! Zuko! I can't believe my baby sister..."

"It's okay, Sokka. I didn't see...anything. It's fine."

His crazed expression eased a bit. "Whew. Okay. That makes me feel a little better."

Something about that sentence sounded off. "Why would it matter? I don't...you know..._like_ her that way," I explained, going through the usual words. There wasn't anything going on between us, of course, but even if there was, I would never in a thousand comets have told the BOSS that. I didn't want to get hit by his boomerang. I could almost still feel a lump.

He scoffed. "Oh, come on, Zuko. I thought you wanted to have a man-to-man chat. Be honest."

Now it was my turn to scoff. "Sokka, please. Why would I like Katara?"

Whoa. Wrong thing to say to the Brother Of Sexy Sister. But instead of being offended, he smiled even wider.

"Zuko, buddy, you're a terrible liar." His voice was about a decibel higher than it should have been, and I heard a sleepy groan from Aang's tent.

"Will you keep it down?" I stage-whispered. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged and pretended to look disinterested. "I don't know, my friend, but it seems to me and Toph_–_" (A laugh from the earthbender's tent) "_–_that you're a lot more eager to be Katara's friend than anyone else's. Don't worry, no offense taken.

"Anyway, she says you have this whole mental-positive-react thingy going. I don't know exactly what she said. But you're actually a whole lot alike, if you think about it. And, uh, I saw, and see, you blushing. In conclusion, you're about as good of a liar as Airhead over there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder and stood abruptly.

"Sokka, I_–_"

"Shush! Now, all of this talking is making me sleepy, so I'm going to catch a few winks. See you in the morning, buddy."

* * *

"Sokka! What's the news?"

"Like you didn't hear me!"

"Just tell me, Snoozles! Now!"

"Okay, Zuko saw Katara, and_–_"

"I know that, idiot! I wanted to know what he looked like when he said it! And are you available to execute Step Four?"

"Like I was about to say, Zuko was blushing like crazy, and he didn't deny anything. He kind of gave up."

"Yeah, and his heartbeat really jumped around too. Not to mention Her Highness..."

"So, as I was saying, I can probably cook something up by tomorrow afternoon, if we're not busy. You know, I saw these great posters when we were in town, and I_–_"

"Sokka, when I asked you if you could do Step Four, it was a yes or no question."

"...Yes, ma'am."

"That's better. Now go to sleep! You look dead on your feet."

"Thanks, Toph, I..."

"Yes? Is something wrong?"

"You're a twisted little girl, you know that?"

"Thank you. I should've seen the look on your face."


	3. Purpose

She was a peasant, he a prince.

She was gentle and calm, he irrational and violent.

She worked for the Avatar, he plotted against him.

She loved the ocean, he cursed its depths.

She feared fire, he exulted in it.

She was motivated by hope, he by shame.

She could take care of herself, he was a loose cannon.

She was eager to learn her destiny, he was haunted by his.

She had been attacked by foreigners, he by his own kin.

She imagined a thousand futures, he focused on only one.

She trained patiently to master her element, he kicked and screamed along the way.

She suffered alone until he came, he was hopelessly confused until he met her.

_When she lost sense of her life's purpose, he plucked it from the air and gave it back a thousand times._


End file.
